10 Vital Functions of the Liver​ That Keep You Running and Healthy

Introduction

The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in your body, silently carrying out many essential functions to keep you healthy. It can even regrow itself to standard size even if 90% of it is removed: a fantastic fact backed by the NIH. But what exactly does it do, and why is it so important? According to the NCBI, the liver’s primary function is to help our body in metabolic processes, detoxification, and immune system support, making it indispensable for overall well-being.

10 Functions of the Human Liver

The liver is a vital organ with key functions, including nutrient metabolism and detoxifying harmful substances. In addition to this, it also helps in bile production for fat digestion and the synthesis of essential proteins like albumin and clotting factors.

Here’s the list of 10 primary functions of the liver.

Bile Production and Digestion

The liver produces bile, a greenish-yellow fluid that helps break fats in your food, making them easier to digest. It breaks down the greasy stuff so your body can absorb the required nutrients. It sends bile to the small intestine through the gallbladder, breaking fats into tiny drops for enzymes to chew up fast. 

Blood clotting

The liver produces essential proteins that help your blood clot, acting like an internal band-aid, and prevents excess bleeding. It produces prothrombin and fibrinogen with a boost from vitamin K to patch you up quickly. Without these, even a tiny cut could result in a big, messy bleed.

Metabolism of Nutrients

The liver helps process fats, carbs, and protein into usable energy.  It decides what gets stored, burned, and turned into something else entirely. It’s like the body’s own power plant. It changes extra sugar into glycogen to save for later and turns fatty acids into energy using beta-oxidation. It also tweaks amino acids to make energy or fresh proteins.

Blood Filtration or Detoxification

The liver is the body’s natural detox center. It helps filter out toxins, hormones, drugs, and harmful substances from the blood, ensuring your system stays clean and functional. Its cells help flush out drugs and alcohol with enzymes. It also takes old blood cells and reuses their iron.

Regulation of Blood Sugar Levels

Your liver stores glucose and releases it when your body needs energy. It’s like a sugar bank, ensuring you don’t crash midday. It is a crucial function for energy balance. After you eat, it stores glucose as glycogen, and when you’re hungry, it breaks it down or produces new sugar quickly. This keeps your blood sugar stable so you don’t feel unsteady or overly energetic.

Storage of Vitamins and Minerals

The liver is a storage warehouse for vital nutrients like vitamins A, D, K, and B12, and other minerals like iron and copper for when you need them. It stores vitamin A for good vision and vitamin D to assist bones in absorbing calcium. It stores iron as ferritin, ready to support the production of new red blood cells.

Immune System Support

The liver is important for our immune system as it helps to fight off diseases by removing bacteria and other toxins from the blood. Its Kupffer cells remove bacteria that enter from your gut through the portal vein. It also produces proteins like C-reactive during illness to strengthen your immune system.

Production of Albumin

Albumin is a protein made by your liver that helps keep the right balance of fluids and carries hormones, vitamins, and other substances throughout your body. Without it, you’d be dealing with swelling and other issues. 

Its hepatocytes produce 10-15 grams of albumin daily to prevent fluid from escaping the veins. It also binds to drugs like aspirin and transports them through your bloodstream.

Hormone Regulation

Your liver helps regulate hormones, including those that control growth and metabolism, and removes excess hormones, ensuring your body’s communication system runs smoothly. It’s body’s internal thermostat.

It breaks down insulin and glucagon to adjust sugar levels and efficiently removes excess estrogen. This prevents hormone excess from affecting your growth or other important functions.

Urea Production

When our body breaks down proteins, it creates ammonia, which is toxic. Your liver turns it into urea, which you pee out. This process helps prevent the buildup of toxic substances in the body.

It operates the urea cycle with enzymes like ornithine transcarbamylase to convert ammonia into urea quickly. Each day, it produces 20-30 grams of urea for your kidneys to excrete and maintain balance.

How to Make Your Liver Healthy?

Eat a nutritious diet and keep a healthy weight to prevent fatty liver disease. Limit alcohol, use medications carefully, and get regular checkups to detect problems early and keep your liver functioning well.

• Eat a healthy diet and maintain weight: Eat food such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins. Avoid processed junk foods and sugary drinks. This helps you have a healthy weight and reduces the risk of fatty liver disease.
• Limit alcohol consumption: Alcohol damages the liver over time. It processes alcohol but can’t handle excess without harm. 
• Be careful with medications: Over-the-counter drugs can be harsh on your liver. Always follow the dosage as instructed and avoid mixing them without consulting a doctor.
• Get regular checkups: Don’t wait for something to go wrong. Schedule checkups to monitor liver health. Blood tests or regular health checkups can find issues early. This helps, especially if you have risk factors like a family history of liver disease.

Signs Your Liver Is Struggling

Given below are the symptoms that show your liver is struggling:

• Abdominal pain or swelling 
• Changes in urine/stool(Dark urine and pale stool)
• jaundice(yellowing of skin and eyes)
• Weakness: Chronic fatigue, nausea, and vomiting
• Loss of appetite